As winter began to loosen its grip, several staff members displayed their musical talents in the Jemison auditorium of Sanborn Hall.
Distinctive musicians in their own right, together they presented the works of one of the most famed classical composers.
The work of Johannes Brahms was the theme of the night.
âI get a feeling of emotional exhaustion after playing the first movement,â said Dr. Frank Chiou.
Chiou, the assistant professor of Piano and Theory opened the concert with two solo piano pieces.
Karl Pedersen, principal violist of the Columbus symphony, later accompanied Chiou. Crystal Stabenow , adjunct professor of voicesupplied vocals for the final two pieces.
The Brahms pieces performed presented a challenge for the musicians. While the viola and piano parts complimented each other, the two performers played almost completely different pieces, which required great skill and precision to form one comprehensive piece of music.
Stabenow sang in German for the final two pieces, which exemplified the importance of Brahms and other classical works: the brilliance that surrounds the composition, not necessarily the content.
Though the majority of the audience could likely not translate the lyrics, Stabenowâs clear operatic voice drew the crowdâs attention.
âExpanding your appreciation for different kinds of music, especially classical music could benefit a lot of people,â said junior Stephen Telepak, an audience member.
Ohio Wesleyan student magician, sophomore Bill Boaz. Boaz has been performing professionally since the age of ten. Photo courtesy of Bill Boaz
On a night of magic and mischief on the appropriately timed date of April Foolâs Day, nearly 500 people made their way to the Strand Theatre for a philanthropic performance.
Last Tuesday sophomore Bill Boaz preformed his renowned magic tricks as a way to raise money for his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, philanthropy event.
âI became interested in magic at the age of four,â Boaz said.
âI was watching TV and saw David Copperfield making a glass ball float â an illusion I now perform a version of in my own show â so I told my parents, and they saw I was instantly enamored by the art,â Boaz explained.
This event was a first time production for the fraternity.
In the past, âMiss OWUâ was hosted as Sig Epâs spring philanthropy.
Former Sig Ep president, senior Jake Miller, said the fraternity decided last year would be their final âMiss OWUâ pageant.
âWe decided to change our philanthropy event this year because the magic show attracts people of all ages, Greek life or no Greek life, whereas Miss OWU attracted a more narrow audience,â Miller said.
âWe also got to open the event up to the community of Delaware,â Miller added of the magic show.
Boaz said the fraternityâs switch paid off and that the money they raised nearly doubled what they received last year.
Boaz performed two sets of magic to benefit Sig Epâs national philanthropy, Big Brothers Big Sisters.
âA number of our brothers are now, or have been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters,â Boaz said.
âThis organization was especially important to Jakob VonDerVellen, a brother who was very active in BBBS before he passed away in a car accident two years ago.â
âIn addition, it was just recently named as our fraternityâs national philanthropy,â Boaz added.
By charging five dollars at the door, the brothers were able to raise about $2 thousand for their cause.
Cast members of Ohio Wesleyanâs rendition of George Bernard Shawâs period piece âHeartbreak House.â Photo by Megan Pinto for Communications
The largest war to ever engulf the globe is happening right outside, but the inhabitants of George Bernard Shawâs âHeartbreak House,â are more concerned with their love affairs.
In âHeartbreak House,â the feminist writer depicts the course of a day in a mansion in Sussex, England.
Over the course of the show characterâs become fixated on romance while ignoring that they are living in the middle World War I.
Ohio Wesleyanâs theatre and dance departmentâs rendition of the play was directed by Professor Elane Denny-Todd.
Denny-Todd said that after 22 years of working at OWU, she was excited to finally produce one of Shawâs works.
The cast of âHeartbreak Houseâ is comprised of ten students from various class years.
Making the first appearance on stage was Ellie Dunn, played by senior Jenea Dominguez.
Dominguezâs character struggles throughout the show with the decision of whom she will marry. Eventually she settles on the absent-minded Captain Shotover, played by junior Luke Steffen.
Dominguez said she auditioned for the play because she wanted to perform something of Shawâs as well as work with Denny-Todd.
Senior Kati Sweigard takes on the role of Hesione Hushabye. Sweigardvdescribes her character as having an âintense personality and a ton of confidence.â
Sweigard said that Shaw intended to write the play as an examination of wartime upper-class British society.
Junior Hannah Simpson, who plays Lady Ariedne Utterwood, agreed with Sweigard. Simpson added that Shawâs play is a critique on how self-absorbed people can be.
âShaw wrote this play to point out the follies of mankind, particularly those of the upper-class, on the eve of WWI,â Simpson said.
âInstead of being concerned with the consequences that will inevitably rise from war, the characters in âHeartbreak Houseâ fill their minds with trivial matters,â Simpson continued. âSuch as who gets the last word in an argument, or not receiving a âproperâ greeting when he or she has entered the house.â
Artists featured in the âNew Art/New Mexicoâ exhibit in the Ross Art Museum visited campus to shed some light on the history and inspirations for their work.
Both featured artists, Victor Goler and Anita Rodriguez, said their art is a medium for social commentary.
âArt is a way of bringing social change without violence,â Rodriguez said.
Goler specializes in the art of Santos, which are wooden depictions of religious figures and themes.
During his talk, Goler went through a brief history of Santos in Latin America in conjunction with some of his own work.
Goler creates Bultos, 3-D carvings of saints, in way that stays true to the traditional iconography of a specific saint, but in an interesting way. He said his worked in his familyâs conservation studios growing up, and would work on the saints, replacing fingers and other pieces.
He graduated college with a major in graphic design and advertisement and didnât expect to have a career as an artist.
âI always resisted being an artist,â Goler said. âIt just worked out.â
Rodriguez, a painter, explained the traditions and attitudes surrounding death in Mexico, in particular the cult of Santisima Muerte, Our Lady of Death.
Santisima Muerte, often depicted as a skeleton, is normally the patron for criminals or the marginalized, and promises to grant a good death to those that pray to her.
In her paintings, Santisima Muerte is often placed above the people.
Rodriguez said this is because âshe is for all of us and I picture her towering above country borders.â
âEveryone always asks why I put skeletons in my work,â she said.
âI grew up with these beliefs and feel that it is perfectly natural to use skeletons within my paintings.â
âThe Vagina Monologuesâ cast rises for womenâs empowerment in Grey Chapel on March 29. Photo by Caleb Dorfman
By Megan Dill Transcript Reporter
Last Saturday, students of Ohio Wesleyan preformed âThe Vagina Monologuesâ to give voice to womenâs stories and struggles.
âI hope that women find a sense of empowerment and that all genders find that they were educated about sexuality and womenâs experience,â said senior Claire Hackett, producer and co-director of the production.
For the third consecutive year at OWU, students gathered to perform the set of monologues based on womenâs various experiences with sex, rape, orgasm, birth and more.
Before the monologues began, Pitch Black, OWUâs female a capella group, preformed renditions of Macklemoreâs âCanât Hold Us,â Gloria Gaynorâs âI Will Survive,â and a mash-up âTonight Iâll be Your Sweet Dream.â
Sophomore Pitch Black member, Emma Sparks, said their performance was incorporated into the show to promote female empowerment through music.
âAlthough women a capella groups that sing non-traditional music are increasing, they are still a newer phenomenon and are not as common as male groups,â Sparks said.
âIt was another way to show that women not only have the ability, but have the passion and drive to do anything.â
After Pitch Blackâs performance, the monologue performers took the stage and recited 14 short pieces.
The stories mostly focus on a realization or change in how a person feels about their vagina according to Hackett.
âIn âThe Little Coochie Snorcher That Couldâ a young woman experiences a lot of trauma to her vagina, including rape when she was 10, but is changed by an enlightening sexual experience with an older woman,â Hackett said.
âBut in âMy Vagina Was My Village,â a woman tells of how beautiful and wonderful her vagina used to be, and what is like after genital mutilation.â
For sophomore performer Elizabeth Raphael, reciting a monologue meant being able to feel comfortable with talking about vaginas and sexuality.
âI think the overall message of the show is that women from all over the world has every right to be proud of their vaginas, and any act that makes women think otherwise needs to be stopped,â Raphael said.
Yasmin Radzi, a sophomore performer, said being a part of the production helped her to gain closure from a negative sexual experience in her past.
âBeing in âVagina Monologuesâ has really helped me grow, has helped me to find closure, and has helped me to gain strength,â she said.
‘Butterfly Confessions,’ a new tradition of diversity
Freshman Lissette Gonzalez performs in ‘Butterfly Confessions.’ Photo by Noah Manskar, courtesy of butterflyconfessions.com
By Jija Dutt Transcript Reporter
Thirty-seven women of color, ten different monologues and a packed audience. History was made last Friday as Ohio Wesleyan became the first college to perform Yetta Youngâs âButterfly Confessions.â
âButterfly Confessionsâ is âa love letter to women of color that reveals heartfelt emotions about intimacy, sexual responsibility and overcoming adversity,â according to the Facebook page for the event.
Though written for black women only, OWUâs production was modified to include a diverse group of women in order to properly represent the multinational student population on campus.
Junior Khristina Gardner was one of five directors for the play and said that it would not have been possible without the playâs producer, senior Claire Hackett.
âWe are all women of color and for Claire to reach out to all of us to share the heartfelt stories within the monologues was so wonderful,â Gardner said.
âShe was determined to take steps towards making a change on this campus and to bring light to various issues and she did just that.â
Gardner said she was very excited about the opportunity for the voices of black women to âfinally be heard.â
Her goal for the play was to make the âwomen feel comfortable and form a connection with the monologues that they performed.â
Senior Madeline Miguel a part of the diverse cast said that her ethnicity is comprised of Japanese, Filipina and White.
âAs someone who is of mixed ethnicity its difficult for me to feel like a fit in,â said Miguel.
âI chose to be a part of this production because I think itâs important for women of color to have a voice and a presence on our campus.â
Miguel said her only challenge was that she âfelt a little strange and a bit left outâ because the monologues were all written for black women.
âI couldnât relate to black women, but I could relate to struggles of being a minority woman,â Miguel said.
âThe directors were excellent at encouraging us that all of us were an important part of this production.â
Miguel added that she was particularly interested in the combination of light hearted, funny monologues and the more serious hard-hitting topics of HIV/AIDS and child abuse.
âIt showed the audience a part of a culture with which we coexist, but rarely recognize or notice. It was amusing, sad and all too real,â said freshman Jessica Sanford of the performance.
From scheduling conflicts to the nervousness of being a first time director, Gardner said she was glad with the way the show turned out.
âI want to see âButterfly Confessionsâ grow,â she added. âI want to see the women who chose to be involved with âButterfly Confessionsâ grow. I want to see the Ohio Wesleyan community as a whole grow from this production as well.â
The first collegiate performance of âConfessionsâ concluded with a standing ovation from the audience of Grey Chapel.
A new punk band has exploded on the music scene, and theyâre making a buzz for themselves, if only by name alone.
Perfect Pussy, the five-piece group from Syracuse, New York has made a splash at concerts and festivals, most recently at the acclaimed South By Southwest Festival in Texas.
The group is known for their 15-minute sets, because lead singer Meredith Graves screams so violently on stage that she becomes physically ill. Stage antics aside, this band is good. Lately, there have been numerous âpunkâ bands that have been making waves on the music scene, but none of them truly have the raw, unadulterated passion that Perfect Pussy has.
Graves reminds me of a rougher Kathleen Hanna of the 90s band Bikini Kill. Graves has the Riot Grrrl quality, which is the 90s feminist musical movement.
Many bands try to capture this aesthetic, but few actually achieve it.
Their debut album, âSay Yes To Love,â only came out March 18, but this band seems to be making an impact everywhere they go.
Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of their â27 Must-Hear Albumsâ and the music website, Pitchfork, which is notoriously tough on new music, gave the an 8.6 out of 10 on their scale, and also listed the album as âBest New Music.â
I like this album. Sure, the lyrics are unintelligible, but the passion and quality of music is apparent.
According to Pitchfork, âGraves has said that her bandmatesâŠusually record a totally clean track first, and then she and the keyboardistâŠcome in and âmake noise on purpose.ââ
The album is only 23 minutes long, which makes it a great album to listen to over and over again. After a few listens, I actually started to make out the lyrics.
You get a sense of urgency and angst in these songs, but itâs not the annoying kind. Itâs the kind that you understand and feel yourself.
You understand what this woman is going through in her sense of anger and frustration in her lyrics. One of my favorite lines I managed to make out was at the end of the song, âDigâ: âIf Iâm anything less than perfection/Well shit, nobody told me!â
If you want to be on the cutting edge, cool side of music, this band is worth a listen. Just be careful Googling them.
Josh Radnor, a liberal arts alum, spoke to Ohio Wesleyan students about his life as an actor, writer and director. Photo by Jane Suttmeier
âDown-to-earthâ has become one of the more contrived terms to describe celebrities, but still one that seems to perfectly encompass Ohio Wesleyanâs evening with actor, writer, director and advocate for kindness, Josh Radnor.
Best know for his role as Ted Mosby on Foxâs sitcom, âHow I Met Your Mother,â Radnorâs appearance drew a large crowd in Chappelear Drama Center last Wednesday.
Audience members werenât quite sure what to expect from Radnor, and as it turned out, Radnor didnât quite know what to expect from himself. According to Radnor, in the past he had given a speech at a university and realized that the part he enjoyed the most was administering a question and answer session with the students.
Because his favorite portion of the evening is talking to students, Radnor explained that, âthat is what these talks have evolved into, basically this is me saying that I donât have anything planned, I donât know what weâre going to talk aboutâŠsomething generally comes up.â
Freshman Caroline Paul said she didnât come to the show with many expectations, and was told to attend by an avid How I Met Your Mother fan.
âIâm just excited to see what he has to say,â Paul said.
Another audience member, freshman Kristen Canda said, âMy brother watched the show a ton so Iâm kind of here to just say that I saw Radnor, Iâm going to send him pictures to make him jealous.â
Canda also pointed out the lack information about the lectureâs subject matter.
âI have no idea what he is going to talk about, I mean I assume its going to be like his life story type of thing, like a biography, but I really donât know what to expect at all,â she said.
Before delving into his discussion of transitioning from a small Ohio town to becoming an actor with seemingly endless opportunities, Radnor provided the audience with snacks that he had been given but evidently didnât want.
âAre there any potassium-deficient people in the audience?â Radnor asked jokingly while handing a bunch of bananas to a student in the front row.
Radnor may not have intended it, but his talk eventually digressed into a sort of life advice session. The latter half of his two-hour discussion was solely dedicated to responding to questions from audience members, which largely comprised of inquires related to succeeding in the world of acting.
It was easy to see from the manner in which Radnor addressed studentâs questions that he genuinely wanted to help students. His solutions came by providing students with anecdotes from his own life and career.
In response to a question of what has helped him most throughout his career, Radnor said, âMy dad said something to me that I always thought was the best bit of advice that Iâve gotten; he said character doesnât count in the short term, it counts in the long term.â
He advised the audience that the best way to âmake itâ is to be kind.
âIt is a personality business, donât give up your character for a short term gain, because youâre not going to get it back,â he said.
He also pointed to specific parts of his life that have helped him in the long term such as growing up in a small mid-west town that taught him to have a humble attitude, and attending a liberal arts school, Kenyon College, that forced him to explore various fields of study that a specialized acting institution would not have provided.
Sophomore Nicole Nitty, one of the CPB presidents, said there were extra available tickets to sell at the door, and some people who had bought tickets ahead of time did not end up attending the talk.
âI think (the event) went well, Iâll wait to see what people say around campus about it,â Nitty said. âI think people involved with the theatre definitely got a lot out of it.â
Maybe I am getting ahead of myself here, but as soon as the sun comes out and the temperature gets anywhere above thirty, I leap into Spring mode.
One of the many ways I celebrate turning of seasons is through music. Here is a compilation of some of my top warm weather tunes.
âIn a Boat on a Lakeâ by Whistle Peak – An all male quartet based out of a town near and dear to my heart, Louisville, KY, produces sounds that are simultaneously lighthearted and eerie with just the right amount of folk. This song in particular has head-bopping qualities that I always look for when the sun is shining.
âInstant Crushâ by Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas – Featured on Daft Punkâs most recent creation, âRandom Access Memories.â The Strokesâ front manâs soft enchanting vocals will be playing incessantly on warm night drives through my favorite parts of town.
âHead On (Hold On to Your Heart)â by Man Man – This group of Philadelphia gentlemen have been generating some of the weirdest and greatest music since 2003. Their latest album âOn Oni Pondâ, where this song debuted last year, features some of the most energetic and âpop-yâ music Man Man has ever ventured to produce.
âMy Song 5â by Haim – A trio of sisters that have exploded into fame within the past year have also created some of my all time favorite girl-power songs.
âThe Lookâ by Metronomy –Â an album so fresh I canât believe its been out for over two years. I will never tire of the perky and methodical beats from this English group.
Junior Brianna Robinson sings with Pitch Black at last year’s performance of “The Vagina Monologues.” Photo: “Vagina Monologues moan for change.”
Two Ohio Wesleyan students let their voices soar through Sanborn Hall for their junior recital.
Jemison Auditorium filled with the friends and families of juniors Connor Stout and Brianna Robinson to witness their performance last Tuesday, March 4.
Mariko Kaneda, doctor of musical arts from City University of New York and assistant professor of piano at Ohio Wesleyan, provided accompaniment for both performers.
The pieces performed ranged from works by famous composers such as Wolfgang Mozart to Johannes Brahms and from Richard Strauss to Claude Debussy, to name a few.
Both Robinson and Stout said their respective instructors assigned most of their recital pieces, excluding a few that the singers were able to chose themselves.
The performers were each given three recital rehearsals to formally practice on stage.
However most of their work leading up to the performance was on their own time.
Stout said his biggest challenge during any performance is âtrying to keep your body relaxed and your breath calm. Initially, itâs tough to get your voice where you want it to be.â
Stout opened the recital and set the tone for the rest of the night with a rendition of a section from Mozartâs opera âDon Giovanniâ titled âDeh, vieni alla finestra.â
Stoutâs performance in the program continued with selections from a few German-Austrian composers of the Romantic period and two English-speaking compositions, Richard Hundleyâs âStrings in the Earth and Airâ and Frank Bridgeâs âLove Went A-Riding.â
To cap his section of the recital, Stout finished with his favorite composition âEmpty Chairs at Empty Tables,â Claude-Michel Schonbergâs work from the famous musical âLes Miserables.â
A quick intermission occurred before Robinson stepped onto stage allowed audience members time to discuss opinions of the performance thus far.
Freshman Hayden Knisley joined the show briefly before having to attend rugby practice and said, âThat was fantasticâ of Stoutâs performance. âI want to stay for [Robinsonâs] part.â
The vocal music major, Robinson, began her set with a rendition of âEndless Pleasure, Endless Love,â a Handel piece from his 1743 opera âSemeleâ.
Robinson continued with various selections, including work from composers such as Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy and her personal favorite piece, Robert Schumannâs âNur wer die Sehnsucht kennt.â
The conclusion to Robinsonâs program illustrated the complex heights her voices could acheive.
Robinson sang Jeanine Tesoriâs âGirl in 14Gâ which requires an extreme vocal range.
âItâs the most challenging because I have to switch between the voice of an opera singer to the scat of a jazz performer and then back to my normal voice,â Robinson said.
Following the recital, university president Rock Jones commented, â(Stout and Robinson) both did very well and worked hard to get ready. There was a rich variety of classical music and (the recital) was just very well done.â
Senior Sam Sonnega and junior Connor Stout rock their respective instruments, electric guitar and bass.
Senior Mike Cormier provides vocals and percussion.
Senior Erika Nininger sings and plays the keyboard.
Photos by Noah Manskar
Music from Ohio Wesleyan student band Wahoo Sam Crawford flared through Endangered Species as a supplement to Delawareâs First Friday of March festivities.
The downtown Delaware record store, owned by Patrick Bailey, has hosted performances in its locale for the past 33 years.
University students and other Delaware residents drifted in and out of the store listening to the band and browsing Baileyâs record selection last Friday, March 7.
Music Community
âBridging the gap between school and town since we first stumbled into Patâs musical wonderland, Wahoo Sam Crawford is finally going to be performing at Patâs,â Wahoo Sam Crawford wrote on their Facebook event page.
Three OWU seniors, Erika Nininger, Michael Cormier and Sam Sonnega, and junior Connor Stout comprise Wahoo Sam Crawford. All members contribute to the bandâs vocals, while Nininger plays the keyboard, Cormier on drums, Sonnega plays both guitar and keyboard and Stout tackles the bass.
âMike (Michael), Sam and Erika are a year older than me, so they played together during their freshman year,â Stout said.
âI first started to play with them after Thanksgiving break of my freshman year, so over two years ago.â
Stout describes their music style as âindie/folk rock with a definite jam edge.â
The band began their set around 6:45 p.m. and played until about 9 p.m. with a small intermission in between. They mixed traditional songs with newer and instrumental pieces.
Local Opinion
The audience formed a semicircle around the back of the store where the band was set up to play, and diligently listened. Fans, families and friends of the band even requested songs throughout the show.
Delaware resident Sarah Accountius has seen Wahoo perform multiple times and said, âThey are usually pretty funky.â
Bailey said that he has a good relationship with the band and they also bring business into his store.
âTheyâre the four out of 2,000 students that shop here,â Bailey said.
Throughout the performance members of the audience strolled through the aisles of records, while listening to the band.
âI thought it was a nice show, itâs great whenever anyone comes to see our music,â Stout said.
âEven if it was just one person, as long as we could make them smile at some point.â